The Thames Path
The start
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Thames Barrier and Docklands
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Thames Barrier to Wapping
Cutty Sark
Sunday 6 September 2015
Today I started my own Thames Path walk. A week earlier my daughter Christina completed the entire 184 miles in four days over the bank holiday weekend. I was able to track her all the way on a google map thanks to the satellite tracking system the organisers used. This was exciting, terrifying, exhilarating, worrying, addictive, inspiring, and definitely bad news for my blood pressure. I decided straight away that I wanted to follow in her footsteps but with a big difference. My walk will be taken at a leisurely pace with the intention of enjoying every step. I will complete the route in a series of day walks travelling to and from the path on public transport (I hope).
I set off full of excitement in glorious early autumn weather. Travel to the start involved a four-mile cycle ride, two trains, the tube and a rail replacement bus. The longish journey combined with my inability to set off early meant that the walk started a little later than planned. I enjoyed the bus ride – a little too much I think as I only realised that I’d missed my stop at Charlton when the bus arrived at Woolwich. A quick look at my A-Z quickly found a route to the Thames Barrier that included a short section of pleasant walking along the Green Chain Walk (a walk for the future maybe?). The View Café by the Thames Barrier is handily situated for a first refreshment stop. I took a few photos here. This is the first time I’ve seen this fantastic engineering masterpiece – particularly glorious today as it gleamed in the sunshine. The café was the official starting point of the T184 race Chrissie completed last weekend. I was thrilled to finally get going. The views constantly changed and included Docklands, the O2 Dome and the Emirates cable car taking passengers across the Thames. Various pieces of artwork also made for an entertaining walk. This was all new territory for me. The only disappointing section was going round the back of the Dome and then through a dusty building site. It was a road actually but with after. It was not a shortcut – more like a detour – so no cheating! This was actually only the first of several tricky navigation challenges. On paper it looks such a straightforward walk – just follow the river and you can’t go wrong! Back to today’s walk: I enjoyed the sunshine but it got quite hot as I walked towards the slowly setting sun. I put on more sun cream and sought out the shady side of the path. Soon I reached the first tourist hotspot, the Cutty Sark. There was outdoor dancing to a brilliant swing band. I listened and watched for a while before taking the steps down to the Greenwich foot tunnel. I remembered tracking the T184 racers here thinking they’re taking a long time! I now know that it was all those steps or maybe they were waiting for the lift. Next up was Millwall - a name that may still strike fear into people who remember the football violence for which Millwall was particularly infamous. The chant ‘no-one likes us – we don’t care’ is still proudly chanted at the New Den. There was nothing intimidating about the route here though. The new luxury riverside housing developments give the area an affluent feel. The path briefly left the river and followed a road. I popped into a shop to buy some crisps and a drink before rejoining the riverside path. The last section of today’s walk took me past Limehouse Lock and onto the Wapping cobbles. I loved walking through this old dock area and The Prospect of Whitby is a pub I fondly remember from my first trip into what was then a rather intimidating area. That was in the 70s and things have changed since then. London in general seems to be a lot cleaner than it was when I arrived here in 1974.
It was now nearly 7pm and with the help of my A to Z I found Wapping tube station for the slightly easier return trip.
My highlights:
Useful information
Transport:
Today I started my own Thames Path walk. A week earlier my daughter Christina completed the entire 184 miles in four days over the bank holiday weekend. I was able to track her all the way on a google map thanks to the satellite tracking system the organisers used. This was exciting, terrifying, exhilarating, worrying, addictive, inspiring, and definitely bad news for my blood pressure. I decided straight away that I wanted to follow in her footsteps but with a big difference. My walk will be taken at a leisurely pace with the intention of enjoying every step. I will complete the route in a series of day walks travelling to and from the path on public transport (I hope).
I set off full of excitement in glorious early autumn weather. Travel to the start involved a four-mile cycle ride, two trains, the tube and a rail replacement bus. The longish journey combined with my inability to set off early meant that the walk started a little later than planned. I enjoyed the bus ride – a little too much I think as I only realised that I’d missed my stop at Charlton when the bus arrived at Woolwich. A quick look at my A-Z quickly found a route to the Thames Barrier that included a short section of pleasant walking along the Green Chain Walk (a walk for the future maybe?). The View Café by the Thames Barrier is handily situated for a first refreshment stop. I took a few photos here. This is the first time I’ve seen this fantastic engineering masterpiece – particularly glorious today as it gleamed in the sunshine. The café was the official starting point of the T184 race Chrissie completed last weekend. I was thrilled to finally get going. The views constantly changed and included Docklands, the O2 Dome and the Emirates cable car taking passengers across the Thames. Various pieces of artwork also made for an entertaining walk. This was all new territory for me. The only disappointing section was going round the back of the Dome and then through a dusty building site. It was a road actually but with after. It was not a shortcut – more like a detour – so no cheating! This was actually only the first of several tricky navigation challenges. On paper it looks such a straightforward walk – just follow the river and you can’t go wrong! Back to today’s walk: I enjoyed the sunshine but it got quite hot as I walked towards the slowly setting sun. I put on more sun cream and sought out the shady side of the path. Soon I reached the first tourist hotspot, the Cutty Sark. There was outdoor dancing to a brilliant swing band. I listened and watched for a while before taking the steps down to the Greenwich foot tunnel. I remembered tracking the T184 racers here thinking they’re taking a long time! I now know that it was all those steps or maybe they were waiting for the lift. Next up was Millwall - a name that may still strike fear into people who remember the football violence for which Millwall was particularly infamous. The chant ‘no-one likes us – we don’t care’ is still proudly chanted at the New Den. There was nothing intimidating about the route here though. The new luxury riverside housing developments give the area an affluent feel. The path briefly left the river and followed a road. I popped into a shop to buy some crisps and a drink before rejoining the riverside path. The last section of today’s walk took me past Limehouse Lock and onto the Wapping cobbles. I loved walking through this old dock area and The Prospect of Whitby is a pub I fondly remember from my first trip into what was then a rather intimidating area. That was in the 70s and things have changed since then. London in general seems to be a lot cleaner than it was when I arrived here in 1974.
It was now nearly 7pm and with the help of my A to Z I found Wapping tube station for the slightly easier return trip.
My highlights:
- Thames Barrier
- Happy people enjoying the beautiful riverside on this glorious September Sunday
- Dockland skyline
- Cutty Sark and Greenwich Naval College
- Wapping
- Ducks, gulls, cormorants
Useful information
Transport:
- Train Reading to Paddington; London Underground to Charing Cross; train to Lewisham (bus replacement to Charlton/Woolwich)
- Return: Underground Wapping to Paddington - train Paddington to Reading
- Plentiful all along the route (pubs, cafes, shops)
Riverside artwork
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The Shard and Tower Bridge
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